IN the six days after H K Maheswari, the CEO of Northbrook Jute Mill, was lynched by labourers, at least three jute mills have issued suspension of work notice. State Labour Minister Purnendu Bose Saturday visited the Northbrook jute mill and pulled up the management for not keeping the government in the loop about the labour unrest.

After Auckland Jute Mill at Jagaddal and the New Central Jute Mill at Budge Budge, which issued suspension of work notice over the week, the Victoria Jute Mill at Bhadreswar announced closure on Saturday, leaving 5,000 workers unemployed.

Maheswari was lynched by workers on Sunday when the management did not agree to their demands to increase working hours.

After meeting mill owners and labour union members, Bose said: “If they were facing stock issues, they could have applied for lay-off. Had the government been kept in the loop, we could have managed the situation.”

Meanwhile, Bose said a memorandum would be submitted to the Centre to make jute packaging mandatory.